Crown Prosecution Service ‘failing’ on modern slavery as four in five suspects walk free from court

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has been accused of failing to use modern slavery legislation to pursue and convict criminals who traffic and exploit vulnerable people both into and within the UK.

Analysis of Ministry of Justice figures as part of a JPIMedia Investigation into modern slavery has revealed just one in five cases that make it to courts in England and Wales – already a fraction of the crimes recorded by police – result in conviction.

When approached for comment, a CPS spokesman said it should be taken into account that “in many circumstances perpetrators can be best prosecuted under different offences which can skew the figures”.

But Tamara Barnett, director of the Human Trafficking Foundation, said the admission shows a “failure and demonstrates how hard they are finding it to use the Modern Slavery Act to get those higher jail sentences”.

The office for the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner also said modern slavery charges were “preferable”, not least because of a range of protections slavery legislation opens up for victims.

The 2015 Modern Slavery Act consolidated and simplified existing exploitation and trafficking offences under one umbrella offence, increasing the maximum penalty to life imprisonment.

James Brokenshire, the then security minister who brought the legislation to Parliament, said it would “send the strongest possible message to criminals that if you are involved in this disgusting trade in human beings, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be locked up”.

The Ministry of Justice figures reveal 344 modern slavery cases were heard in court between 2015 and 2019, of which just 74 (21.5%) resulted in a conviction. 

Of those convicted, only 62 received an immediate prison sentence. Three faced fines, and five were handed suspended sentences.